Review of Asmar’s Baba Ghannouj Eggplant Dip

Mar 29, 2011 by M. Velez

You voted and I delivered. The winner of the March 14-18 weekly poll was Asmar’s Baba Ghannouj Eggplant dip, which I’ve never tried before and I have to say I’m surprised how well it can work as a dip.

According to Wikipedia, Baba Ghannouj is an Arab dish made from eggplants that are broiled over an open flame, then peeled. The flesh is mashed and mixed with other ingredients such as Tahini (sesame paste) and seasoned.

This smoky flavored dip has somewhat of a watery light consistency like that of mayonnaise or sour cream and has a light beige color. I suspect the addition of tahini gives it more thickness as well as added flavor.

I had three people, myself included, sample this product and opinions varied. My first impression was positive as I liked the smoky flavor, but after a while, that smoky flavor evolved into a chemical aftertaste of which I then concluded I was not a fan. In fairness, I did not have another brand version of the eggplant dip to make a comparison.

If you like smoky flavors and you’ve never had eggplant dip before, you might like this product (or you might react the way I did after several bites). For the eggplant-dip-experienced individual, it will depend on what you are used to and/or what you expect.